<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Can't Sleep Love by Mara_Jade101</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27838471">Can't Sleep Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara_Jade101/pseuds/Mara_Jade101'>Mara_Jade101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Kids No More [23]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Max Finder Mystery (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crack Treated Seriously, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Kid Detectives AU, Multi, One Shot, Songfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:41:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27838471</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara_Jade101/pseuds/Mara_Jade101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Max Finder finally decides to confess to Alison, but he's too nervous to do it and asks his friends for help. </p><p>While they give him advice, he receives one piece of advice that's SURE to work!</p><p>(Aka, never listen to Brian Pinto when he gives relationship advice.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kid Detectives &amp; Themselves, Max Finder &amp; Zoe Palgrave &amp; Alison Santos, Max Finder/Alison Santos, Zoe Palgrave/Malia Z Thornton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Kids No More [23]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889242</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Can't Sleep Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Song is "Can't Sleep Love" by Pentatonix.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Max, You okay?" Ruth Rose Hathaway asked him after a live video chat had nearly died down.</p><p>Max Finder looked up from his homework and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."</p><p>Encyclopedia Brown raised an eyebrow as he reached behind his camera to adjust it. "You sure? You don't look like you're fine."</p><p>Max sighed and took a quick glance at the sidebar showing who was in the meeting... and who wasn't. "Well... yeah. I need your help."</p><p>Lucy Duncan frowned as she crossed her arms. "What's up?"</p><p>He tapped his pencil on the paper before he sighed. "I have a crush on Alison and I'm trying to figure out how to tell her, but I'm too nervous to do it."</p><p>Marshall Li started laughing and clapped his hands together. "That's just great..."</p><p>He blushed. "What?"</p><p>"You having a crush on Alison." KC Thornton explained, leaning on the back of her chair. "Yeah, we can give you advice... but you need to trust yourself-"</p><p>She was promptly interrupted by Brian Pinto jumping into the conversation. "You could do Pentatonix's version of 'Can't Sleep Love'!" He suggested.</p><p>"Aren't you single?!?" Rob Baker countered.</p><p>Brian nodded and grinned. "It worked with Josh."</p><p>"A) That was 'Shameless' by Camilla Cabello. B) Ruth Rose was the one who decided to skip the freaking question and go straight for the kiss! Not that Dink or I minded, but Max; DON'T DO WHAT WE DID!!!" Josh Pinto argued before breaking into laughter, his hospital band still on his wrist.</p><p>Max's eyes lit up. "That's actually not a bad idea! Thanks, Brian!"</p><p>The chat dissolved into laughter as he signed off.</p><p>XXX</p><p>"I can do this." Max told himself as he reached for the Santos' doorbell. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!"</p><p>His hand hovered over the doorbell before he shoved his hand in his pocket and quickly walked away.</p><p>"I can't do this."</p><p>XXX</p><p><em>"Any luck?"</em> Dink Duncan asked him over the phone an hour later.</p><p>"No!!! How are you guys so comfortable with this?!? I'm having a freaking heart attack every time I go near the door, how am I supposed to tell her face-to-face?!?" Max complained, sinking into his chair and bringing his hand to his face.</p><p>Dink sighed. <em>"Max, just look her in the eyes and tell her how you feel. Everything just works itself out from there."</em></p><p>"Talking from experience there?" He teased the older teen.</p><p>Dink just laughed. <em>"Yep. Now just breathe, go over to Alison, and tell her already!"</em></p><p>"Brian's offer still stands, right?"</p><p>
  <em>"Ignore him, he was just trying to make you laugh."</em>
</p><p>"Well, it's working." Max said through a small fit of giggles. "Thanks, Dink."</p><p><em>"Anytime."</em> Dink said warmly before Max hung up and sighed. His notebook was around here somewhere...</p><p>XXX</p><p>Alison signed onto the Kid Detective Network that night with a sigh. "Ok, Brian, what did you do?"</p><p><em>"I don't know what you're talking about."</em> Brian said through a fit of laughter.</p><p>She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh really? Then why does everyone else keep texting about you daring Max to do something...?"</p><p><em>"No reason."</em> He answered.</p><p><em>"You weren't supposed to see that!!!"</em> Bradley complained as he adjusted the camera to show the back of the Pinto family's living room.</p><p>She shook as the other Kids began to join the chat. Max had come over for a visit, but for some reason (probably Brian's dare) he had set up downstairs while she was up in her room. It was when the Kids were all gathered on the screen that the <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SkFXDRlDT_M">[music]</a> started and Max started singing.</p><p>
  <em>"Uh huh."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah."</em>
</p><p><em>"Tell me, am I going crazy?"</em> Max asked the camera.</p><p><em>"Uh huh."</em> Dink confirmed with a nod.</p><p>Max glared at him before continuing <em>"Tell me, have I lost my mind?"</em></p><p><em>"Yeah!"</em> Brian declared.</p><p>He face-palmed with a sigh, rolling his eyes as he slowly pulled his hand away from his face. <em>"Am I just afraid of lovin'?"</em></p><p><em>"Uh huh."</em> Owen said with a nod.</p><p>Max sighed and kept going. <em>"Or am I not the lovin' kind?"</em></p><p>"Yeah." Encyclopedia admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.</p><p>Max rolled his eyes and clasped his hands together, tucking them behind his head. <em>"Kissin' in the moonlight<br/>
Movies on a late night<br/>
Gettin' old..."<br/>
</em></p><p><em>"Uh huh." </em>Agatha said, nodding.</p><p>
  <em>"I've been there, done that<br/>
Supposed to be hot<br/>
But it's just cold."<br/>
</em>
</p><p><em>"Yeah." </em>Nate agreed.</p><p>
  <em>"Somebody wake up my heart<br/>
Light me up<br/>
Set fire to my soul, yeah."</em>
</p><p><em>"Uh huh." </em>Zoe said.</p><p>
  <em>"'Cause' I can't do it anymore..." </em>
</p><p><em>"Yeah?" </em>Alison asked, her heart starting to race in anticipation...</p><p><em>"Gimme that can't sleep love!<br/>
(Gimme that can't sleep)-!" <br/>
</em>Max sang loudly, letting go of his hands and throwing them up in the air.</p><p>
  <em>'I want that-' </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Can't sleep love!<br/>
(Gimme that can't sleep)-!"</em>
</p><p>The other Kids quickly jumped in. <em>"The kind I dream about all day</em><br/>
<em>and it keeps me up all night</em><br/>
<em>Gimme that can't sleep love</em><br/>
<em>Yeah."</em></p><p>Alison was agape, staring at her best friend in shock before Max blushed. "Alison Santos, I have loved you for a long time, but I didn't know how to tell you. I've tried telling you face-to-face, but i just kept getting nervous..." He trailed off and shook his head. "My point is: do you want to be my girlfriend?"</p><p>Alison stared at the camera for a few more moments, before she reached out with her hand, turned off her camera, and shook her head. Pushing herself off her chair, she stood up and walked down the stairs to where Max sat on the couch looking shaken. Max suddenly turned to look at her and his eyes filled with hope. "Is that a yes?" He asked.</p><p>She shook her head. "No."</p><p>Hurt filled his eyes before she stepped closer to him and the camera. "<em>This</em> is."</p><p>Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips to his, her hands keeping him from pulling away. Max gasped softly, then she felt his hands rest against the back of her neck as he pulled her closer to his body. The two stayed there for a few moments before finally breaking the kiss- to see EVERYONE staring at them in shock.</p><p><em>"FINALLY!!!"</em> Zoe yelled, breaking the silence with her phone shaking as she ran toward Alison's house. <em>"DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW LONG YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DANCING AROUND EACH OTHER?!?"</em></p><p>She grinned. "Weeks?"</p><p><em>"MONTHS!!! MAYBE MORE!!!" </em>She yelled, dodging past a dog walker before stopping in front of Alison's front door, her hand on the wall keeping her steady and allowing her to catch her breath.</p><p>Alison grinned widely. "Well, I do have to thank Ruth Rose for telling me how to kiss a guy."</p><p><em>"You're welcome."</em> Ruth Rose said as she blushed before Lucy started screaming. </p><p><em>"OH NO! YOU DO NOT MESS WITH <strong><span class="u">MY</span></strong> MATCHMAKING SKILLS, RUTH ROSE HATHAWAY!!! GET OVER HERE-!!!"</em> Lucy yelled as she leapt over the back of the couch and ran upstairs-</p><p>Dink laughed. <em>"Wait until she finds out we're in the treehouse again."</em></p><p>The resulting scream of rage sent everyone into another fit of laughter. Alison stopped laughing and kissed her boyfriend (FINALLY!) on the cheek. </p><p>"I love you, Max."</p><p>"I love you too, Alison."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No, this is not the huge mind-blowing fic I was referring to in "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!". This is just a set-up for it.</p><p>Also, MAX AND ALISON ARE FINALLY TOGETHER!!! WHOO-HOO!!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>